"Run."
The thought barely formed in Ember's mind before the first shadow lunged at her, claws glinting under the moonlight.
Her breath hitched, her body reacting before her mind caught up…she ducked, rolling across the damp earth just as the creature's claws slashed through the space where her head had been.
"Too slow…too slow!"
She scrambled to her feet, chest heaving, her heart slamming against her ribs.
The second demon snarled, its elongated limbs moving unnaturally fast, cutting off her escape.
Panic coiled in her throat.
Her hands curled into fists.
She had no weapons. No magic. Nothing.
"I'm going to die here."
A growl.
A blur of motion.
Then….
The forest exploded.
A violent gust of wind ripped through the trees, sending leaves flying in a chaotic storm. A dark figure crashed through the underbrush, moving so fast the ground itself shook under his power.
And then….
A sickening crack.
The first demon's body slammed into a tree, hard, its bones shattering on impact.
Ember gasped.
Before she could react, the second demon was ripped off the ground, claws snapping in the air as it let out a guttural screech.
Kaelith's hand was wrapped around its throat, his claws digging in, glowing eyes burning with raw fury.
"You dare," he whispered, his voice low…too calm, too dangerous.
The demon choked, its legs kicking wildly.
Kaelith's grip tightened.
"I should rip you apart for even looking at her."
The final demon lunged from behind.
Kaelith didn't even turn.
With a flick of his free hand, a sharp burst of energy shot out from his palm….invisible, deadly, fast.
The demon's body exploded mid-air, splattering the ground in thick, black blood.
The last one….still dangling in his grasp….let out a strangled noise.
Kaelith finally turned his burning gaze toward it.
His lips curled. "Run."
He loosened his grip.
The demon didn't hesitate….it bolted into the trees, vanishing into the night.
Silence.
A sharp inhale.
Kaelith turned….
And Ember was still standing there, trembling, staring at him like she had never seen him before.
He stepped forward. "Ember…."
"Stay away from me!"
His body stilled.
Her eyes were wide, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to hold herself together.
Kaelith's jaw clenched.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he snapped, voice colder than the night air.
Ember's hands shook.
"I was thinking I needed to get away from you!" she shouted.
Kaelith's expression darkened. "So you ran…..into the goddamn demon-infested forest?"
"I didn't….!" Her voice cracked, frustration and fear bleeding together. "I wasn't thinking, okay?! I just…"
She stopped herself, inhaling shakily.
Her shoulders dropped, the anger suddenly leaving her as exhaustion set in.
Kaelith stepped closer.
She flinched.
He froze.
His fingers curled into fists at his sides.
"I would never hurt you," he said, voice lower now, controlled.
Ember let out a hollow laugh, her eyes wet but defiant.
"You already did," she whispered.
Kaelith staggered, the weight of those three words hitting harder than a blade to the chest.
His breath was slow, controlled. "You think I let him touch you?"
Ember stiffened.
"You think I let my father touch you?" His voice was quieter now, but dangerous.
Ember swallowed. "I…"
Kaelith closed the distance.
"You think I wasn't already losing my goddamn mind when I walked in and saw you standing there…bare, shaking, with his hands on you?"
Ember's breath hitched.
Kaelith exhaled shakily, his fingers curling against his sides as if fighting himself.
"I would burn this entire fucking castle to the ground before I let him touch you again," he whispered, voice thick with something raw.
Ember looked up at him.
Something tightened in her chest.
Something unfamiliar.
Unspoken.
But before she could process it, Kaelith reached out….gripping her wrist firmly.
"We're going back," he said, his voice final.
Ember yanked her arm back.
"No."
Kaelith's eyes narrowed.
Ember inhaled. "Not until you apologize."
Kaelith's jaw ticked.
"Apologize," she repeated. "For what you said. For how you treated me."
Kaelith exhaled slowly, his shoulders tight.
"You can't just act like I belong to you and then push me away whenever you feel like it," she whispered.
Kaelith's eyes flickered.
Then….
"I know."
Ember blinked. "What?"
Kaelith inhaled sharply.
"I know, Ember."
His voice sounded tired.
He dragged a hand through his silver hair, looking away, as if the words physically pained him.
"You were right to leave," he muttered.
Ember froze.
"But," he continued, turning back to her, "you aren't going anywhere without me. Ever. Again."
She stared.
Kaelith took a step closer….then another.
Ember should have stepped back.
She didn't.
His hand brushed against her jaw, his fingers warm, rough, commanding.
"You want me to apologize?" he murmured.
Ember swallowed.
He tilted her chin up, his lips dangerously close to hers.
"Then make me."
Ember's breath hitched.
The air between them crackled.
Every part of her screamed to move, to step away….
But her body refused.
Kaelith's glowing blue eyes flickered, dark and unreadable.
Then….
The sound of rustling leaves cut through the tension.
Kaelith's head snapped up.
A figure stood at the edge of the forest, watching.
Ember turned….
And her blood ran cold.
Xeylan.
His silver-blue eyes glowed in the darkness, his lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.
Kaelith stiffened.
His brother chuckled.
"Well, well."
His voice was smooth, teasing….but laced with something darker.
"I go looking for you, and what do I find?" Xeylan tilted his head. "My dear little brother, practically caging a human."
His smirk widened.
"Careful, Kaelith."
His gaze flickered to Ember.
"You wouldn't want to get attached."
"Well, well. It's been a long time since I've seen you this riled up, little brother."
Kaelith's entire body tensed at the voice, his claws flexing at his sides. His eyes burned a dangerous blue, his breath slow and controlled….too controlled.
Xeylan stood just a few feet away, arms folded, his silver-blue gaze dripping with amusement. The moonlight bathed his aristocratic features, casting a dangerous glint over his smirking lips.
Kaelith stepped forward, instinctively blocking Ember behind him.
"Leave," he said flatly, his voice low, warning.
Xeylan tilted his head. "But I just got here," he mused. "And besides…." his gaze flicked past Kaelith, landing directly on Ember, "I was so eager to meet the latest human you're parading around."
Ember stiffened.
Kaelith growled. "Don't look at her."
Xeylan smirked. "She reminds you of her, doesn't she?"
Kaelith's world snapped.
The name he hadn't heard in years curled from Xeylan's lips like a blade cutting through his ribs.
"Sorei."
The air thickened.
A muscle in Kaelith's jaw twitched, but he said nothing.
Ember glanced between them, her stomach twisting.
"Who is Sorei?"
Kaelith's hands curled into fists. "Say her name again and I'll rip your tongue out."
Xeylan chuckled darkly. "Hit a nerve, did I?" He sighed dramatically. "It's just funny. You swore you'd never touch another human. Never even look at one again. And yet…." he gestured toward Ember, "here you are."
Kaelith's glow intensified.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," he said, his voice dangerously low.
Xeylan's smirk widened. "Oh, but I do. And I wonder….does she?"
His eyes flickered to Ember again.
"Tell me, little human," Xeylan said smoothly, "has he told you yet? That you're just a stand-in?"
Ember's breath hitched.
Kaelith snapped.
A roar of power erupted from him as he lunged, his fist colliding with Xeylan's face. The force sent him flying backward, shattering trees on impact.
Xeylan landed on his feet, wiping his mouth. A slow, twisted smile curved his lips. "Ah. There it is."
Then….
He vanished.
Kaelith barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his ribs, sending him skidding backward across the ground. He dug his claws into the dirt, stopping himself before pushing off, his body flickering out of sight.
They clashed mid-air.
Blow for blow. Strike for strike.
Their movements were blindingly fast, a flurry of claws, fists, and power colliding so violently that the entire forest trembled.
A blast of raw energy erupted from Kaelith's palm….Xeylan dodged at the last second, countering with a dark, searing flame.
Kaelith deflected it, appearing behind Xeylan in a flash.
His claws raked across his brother's shoulder, cutting through fabric and skin.
Xeylan hissed, twisting his body mid-air, sending a spiraling wave of black fire toward Kaelith.
Kaelith caught it with his bare hands.
The force sent cracks splintering through the ground beneath him.
Ember staggered backward, eyes wide.
"They're going to kill each other."
Kaelith lunged again, their fists colliding in a deafening shockwave.
Neither was winning.
Neither was losing.
And then….
"Enough, you two spoiled brats!"
The voice cut through the chaos like a blade of silk and steel.
The entire battlefield froze.
Kaelith and Xeylan were mid-strike, inches from each other…
And yet, neither dared to move.
A soft wind rippled through the trees.
A figure descended from the sky, wrapped in flowing robes of silver and white, her long white hair swaying like a waterfall of moonlight.
Her presence was suffocating.
Not in power.
Not in brutality.
But in grace.
In undeniable authority.
Kaelith and Xeylan stepped back instantly.
A slow smile curved the woman's lips as she landed effortlessly between them.
"You don't fight in front of a lady," she said, tilting her head playfully. "Or… are you dueling over her?"
Kaelith and Xeylan tensed.
Ember gawked.
The woman's gaze flickered toward her.
And then….
She smiled.
"Ah," she mused. "So you're the human causing all this chaos."
Her silver eyes gleamed.
"Interesting."